New Beer Sunday (Week 682)

New Beer Sunday: A New IPA

Mornin’ NBSers with a heads up for fans for a West Coast interpretation of the IPA that explores the use of novel hops. Also thanks to @lordofthewiens for his start today and his report of signs of spring coming soon. Here's hoping his resolution bears fruit.

The weather here today is expected to be mostly sunny with a high near 50. This is, however, basically the quiet before another possible NorEaster a couple of days from now. If it even brushes us that would be the 4th in about 3 weeks.

This morning’s new beer is the Firestone Walker Luponic Distortion: Revolution 009, which is one of a series of Firestone Walker beers that are focused on exploring the use of new hops and new combinations of hops.

As usual my review, subject to revision until I finish the beer, can be found here:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2210/326848/?ba=drtth#review


The aroma/flavor profiles of this beer include some some citrus, pine, earthiness, dankness and tropical fruit that all play a noticeable role in the complexity. The malt backbone is in the background and its light, slightly bready/crackery sweetness serves to soften and smooth out the bitterness that ends the fairly long clean, crisp and dry ending. Definitely worth giving a try if you find it.

Cheers, all!

 

Cheers you all and thanks Doc for getting us going today. I have a favorite style the Oatmeal Stout. Breckenridge did a good job with this I think. The Oatmeal Stout seems to go where ever red wine doth go and I paired it with with lots of dishes which I will show you in this post. It's just a little bit hoppy bitter.

Happy New Oatmeal Stout Sunday



Pours clear with a soft glow from a ruby gem amidst black walnut. Soft creamy head of mocha colored foam that fell slowly and left clinging lace. Dark brown. Earthy roasty nose. The sweet scent of oats and cocoa. Taste is toasty , bitter and lightly creamy. Smooth medium carbonation. Cool firm bitterness from hops. Their spice mingles with the sweetness of the oats. Cereal grain, nuts, a few spicy hops, bitter coffee.

I paired it with blueberries and home made ricotta, honey and walnuts. French toast with blue berries and maple syrup and Roast lamb stew with potatoes and carrots. Tonight it will go with roast tomatoes and broccoli rabe. Have a nice Sunday BA =)

 

Good Sunday morning, everyone. And thank you, @lordofthewiens for getting us started today. I really hope you're correct about the weather improving. These March storms have proven quite disruptive. I couldn't post last week's photos and reviews due to an internet outage caused by the last storm. So I'm sharing them now. Last Saturday, Twin Elephant Brewing in Chatham, New Jersey, released two new beers in cans--both New England style IPAs hopped differently and both first rate. This brewery has improved dramatically within the last year and is routinely brewing excellent IPAs and pale ales. My full reviews follow.

The first is Gathering Clouds, a 6.3% American IPA DDH with Rakau, Southern Cross, Galaxy, and Motueka.



4.36/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Reviewed one day after can release. Poured into Twin Elephant pint glass. It has a classic NE IPA appearance: turbid, completely opaque, straw-yellow color slight orange hues, and a foamy, bright white head that dissipated quickly, and thick residual lacing. The smell is highly aromatic with lots of pineapple, melon, lemon, lime, grapefruit, grass, and pine needles. Its taste is less sweet than the nose would indicate but it's still very fruity - tart grapefruit and lemon up front but the pineapple grows as the glass warms, and there's a nice touch of vanilla. The complex blend of Rakau, Southern Cross, Galaxy, and Motueka hops is delicate and tasty but not overly bitter and without a strong bite. There's also a touch of pepper at the finish. Really delicious! The mouth feel is super creamy and rich for a 6.3% IPA. It's easy to drink and you'll want a second pour. Overall, I think it's the best IPA yet from Twin Elephant; super flavorful and easy to drink. Twin Elephant's really come into its own!

The second is Here There Be Monsters, a 6.8% American IPA DDH with Wakatu, Vic Secret, and Rakau.



4.29/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Reviewed on the day after the can release. Poured into Twin Elephant pint glass. It pours a light yellow straw color, and is nearly opaque with a fluffy, milk-white head that dissipated quickly leaving a significant amount of soapy lacing. Initially, the primary aroma is lemon and grapefruit but as the glass warms you can really smell the melon, along with a hint of wheat. There's more sweetness in the taste than the nose. Initially, the taste features abundant melon and pineapple, followed by tart lemon and grapefruit, and oats. There's little bitterness, and almost no bite, from the Wakatu, Rakau, and Vic Secret hops. I don't believe I've ever experienced this hop blend before. The tropical fruit, citrus, and hops balance very nicely and the oats add a touch of sweetness. There is a slight yeast burn at the finish. The overall taste is outstanding! This ale is creamy with pleasant carbonation, and it drinks below its 6.8% ABV. Overall, it's another outstanding NE style IPA with a great balance of sweetness, tart citrus, and bitter hops. The wheat and oats improve both the taste and feel. Very well done!

Later, I'll be reviewing last week's third new release from Twin Elephant. Our home is for sale and today is the first open house so we have to vacate for awhile. Hopefully, this process won't take long. I'll be glad to have a good beer with you all sometime this afternoon. Cheers!

 

The breakfast looks DELICIOUS!

 

Good morning all, my new beer today came as a bit of a surprise because when I bought the pack it seemed to be the least promising of the bunch . . .



Light clear gold color with white cap.

Aroma of light citrus, spicy, resinous hops with a touch of coconut resting on a solid malt foundation.

Taste on entry is both malt and hop forward in about equal proportion. The spicy, citrusy, piney hops sing in unison with rich malt carrying the base parts. It presents and continues as an harmonious whole with everything working well together in a beautiful blend of concordant parts. The malt presence is particularly noted because that's often lacking in some Session IPAs. A Session IPA that comes across as a ramped up Pale Ale, this one's a real beauty backed by genuine talent.

Medium texture with balancing carbonation.

This is a cuddly little teddy bear of a beer. Very friendly, very approachable, very enjoyable. Much better in all categories than any other Session IPA I've had.

 

A: A very nice hazy copper color with a nice head and some lacing
S: Aroma has nice citrus and citra hop hints
T: Taste follows the nose with nice citrus and citra hop flavors
M: A light bodied well carbonated beer
O: A well made refreshing beer that does not dissapoint

 

Poured near room temperature into a 16 oz snifter not sure when it was bottled. Pours a very attractive near pitch black and leaves behind plenty of tan lines of spotted lace, as it slowly settles into a thin ring of bubbles as hit hugs the sides of the glass. 4.25

Smell is cocoa nibs, dry coffee, vanilla, biscuity grain, and toffee. 4

Taste follows cocoa, coffee, oaked vanilla, biscuit, and toffee. 4

Mouthfeel is Yogi bigger than your average beer, gentle carbonation, not actually dry for the style, and at 10% ABV goes down very easy with no alcohol heat what so ever. 4.25

Overall this is very nice, maybe a little one dimensional but who cares if it is this tasty. Thanks once again for the bottle @jzeilinger . 4

 

Thanks @lordofthewiens for this weeks NBS.

Cheers!

 

Happy New Tattered Flag Beer Sunday (Week 682)!

I do not golf, but I do read & thanks to Goodreads.com (also an app), I have made a resolution to read 75 books this year as a part of their annual Reading Challenge. That may seem like a daunting number, but at the end of 2016/beginning of 2017, I simply pulled a number off of the top of my pointy head & chose 100! It forced me to read a bit more quickly than I would have liked, but I actually finished with 110. I was an EngLit major at Pitt & my fave prof of all time, Lord Steve Carr, inspired me to compile "Lord Steve's Summer Beach Reading List" via his offhand allusions to various titles. The list contains everything from soup to nuts with a LOT of obscure stuff so next year, I am going to throttle back even further & go for 50, but they will be a solid 50.

I also drink beer. Copiously, I mention unabashedly. It may be catching up with me since I am having prostate issues, which led to an invasive surgical procedure for a biopsy on 07 March & a follow-up appointment on W, 28 March, both at the Penn State U. Hershey Medical Center. It is a hike to get up there, but my maternal uncle has been taking me. However, he is off to New Orleans to meet up with my traveling mother & I must venture up by train & bus through Harrisburg. It will kill a potential workday, so afterwards, I am going to a State-run Fine Wines & Liquors in Harrisburg to score a bottle of mead & then begin heading home on the train. The first eastbound stop is Middletown, home of Tattered Flag Brewery (https://tatteredflagbsw.com/), a veteran-owned brewery & you CAN bet that I will be stopping in for a tasting of their wares.

In the meantime, I am doing a brewery horizontal today as a reCANnaissance mission.

For this retired U.S. Navy sailor, GWI veteran, EVERY day begins with coffee & today is no exception:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/46535/281788/?ba=woodychandler#review

followed by:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/46535/283643/?ba=woodychandler#review

and so the day is off & running!

 

Happy Sunday, NBS crew! I was so excited to find a new Foreign Objects at my distributor yesterday. Picked up the last 4 pack, at a reasonable price to boot. @larryi86 , I am saving one of these for you. You need to try this.

Willful Delusion of False Perceptions - Foreign Objects
Ale with Hops - 6.5% abv
Canned 2/26/18 (20 days ago)
Purchased for $18.99/4 at Stone’s Beverage Center
Score: 4.46 (+3% rDev)



L - Another mesmerizing can! 2-finger sparse offwhite head is slow to recede, leaving abundant lacing. Body is a mostly-opaque orange. Very appealing to the eye.

S - candied oranges, pineapple, mango.

T - an explosion of orange and grapefruit! Pineapple makes it into the taste as well. Some other tropical notes here that I can’t identify. Somewhat earthy middle, with a small vegetal edge that I assume is coming from the strange hops they used. Not at all sweet, no booze in the taste, moderately bitter.

F - medium-body, with slightly higher carb than usual for the style.

O - These guys are doing what Tired Hands used to do when they first started. No adjuncts, no sugar, no lactose...just a singleminded showcase of the taste and aroma of the hops used in each brew. I really gain an appreciation for individual hops after drinking one of their beers. I have loved every Foreign Objects beer I have tried, including this one.

 

I got it from their Instagram. I’ve still never seen a visible canning date on any of their cans...they need to fix that!

 

Gone Fishing

Have you ever walked up to a small business and seen this sign in the door’s window? I have only seen this on old TV shows/movies. Must have been pretty cool back in the day to do something like this.

Well, I didn’t have to do much fishing to get the beer I will be drinking today. It was generously gifted to me and I didn’t even have to use any bait!

Today’s beer is Cape May Snag & Drop. From the BA description of this beer:

“Dank and resinous, Snag & Drop is a lupulin-laden beast. With hints of pine and orange citrus in the background, this alluring Triple IPA is packed to the gills with some of our stickiest and most pungent hops. Snag & Drop is waiting to lure you in and snag you like a trophy fish.”

It has been quite some time since I have been fishing off the Jersey shore but this write-up got me thinking maybe this summer I should go again.

In the meantime I will be happy just drinking this beer which I will share with my wife.

Served in two small tulip glasses:

Appearance:

A hazy light golden color with a thin white head which dissipates quickly.

Aroma:

A complex combination of dank, tropical fruit and citrus.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with a complex combination of dank, tropical fruit and citrus. There is a notable bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied with a dry-ish finish.

Overall:

I think this beer is very good! I very much enjoyed drinking it!! My wife enjoyed it as well.


Cheers to the folks of Cape May Brewing for producing a high quality TIPA!

@KOP_Beer_OUtlet @rotsaruch @Kadonny @brianhink @IPAExpert69

P.S. Go ‘Nova!! @cjgiant

 

Here's where I've seen a date from them before:



Most cans I've looked at don't have any date. Total guesses but maybe they're only dating one per four-pack? Or maybe this was the first one they started dating? (Anyone actually know?)

 

Ok, when I led off last week, I was on a mild high for my team winning the ACC. What goes up must come crashing down!! Oh what a difference a week makes. Some of us took it a little harder than others, as you see:


I think I'll wait for the BA who said he'd do physical harm to me if UVa busted his bracket, since then my family will get the insurance money. Anyhow, I'm a bit salty, to say the least, about the outcome of the game. UVa has once again put themselves in the pantheon of greatest "how could you lose that game" results (Chaminade, anyone?). Anyhow, I've soured a bit on March Madness, so I am looking forward to the NHL playoffs, where I have my Caps to look... forward... ... to. Where's that knife?!?

Anyhow, given my current condition, I expect this beer to taste like straight water. But let's see. I always enjoy Anderson Valley's goses, let's see if Framboise Rose lives up to the others.

It doesn't look quite as blood red as my eyes seem to have things this weekend, but it is a nice orange-gold hued pink (or rose). The head built up to the top of the glass, and settled in at a thick, loosely coupled bubble ring.

Nose is similar to many of the AV goses - a crackery malt with a light wheat influence. The tart or sour isn't as strong as in some. There is a fruity note, and it does seem like raspberry, but it's not in my face. The rose hips they use are distinctive but may be aiding in hiding the raspberry a tad.

Not as sour as many of their gose offerings, this does have a nice tartness level to its berry flavor. There's a little tug on the back of my tongue along with the tingle up and down the sides. Raspberry, light lime impression, a familiar malt base, and a back end salinity.

Well, why mess with the program if it works. This does have many similarities to the other AV fruited Goses I have had (watermelon comes to mind). Switch out the fruit and don't go crazy, and you have another good offering for people to enjoy. Works for me.

 

Thanks. Dick!

At least you guys might hold up your end of the bargain. I actually like you to win it all. So I guess you should start worrying now.

 

Boulder Beer Irish Blessing
Oak-Aged Coffee Stout — 6.2% ABV

I wasn’t even planning on participating today but as it turned out, I just didn’t get around to this new beer last night, so it survived to tell it’s story on NBS.

4.1/5 rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Lagunitas large mouth glass (basically a ball canning glass).

Look: The beer is the color of dark cola with typical ruby hues showing through the light on the edges of the beer. A thick khaki head sits on top and seemingly never recedes. Lacing is thick and foamy — sheets of it.

Aroma: At first I got a strange sweet marshmallow note that I couldn’t figure out, but as the beer settles and warms, a very pure dark roasted coffee aroma comes out strong with a very complimentary whiskey oak barrel note that isn’t too strong — just right.

Taste: Exactly like the aroma with a really roasted dark coffee base, hints of bitter dark chocolate, and coated with a sweet whiskey flavor brought on by the Irish whiskey soaked oak chips it was brewed with. The beer leaves a bitter, coffee grind aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, dry.

Overall: I am very impressed, I’m not usually a big fan of Boulder Beer, but I simply couldn’t find many faults with this, it is as advertised. You will find that other reviewers either love or hate this offering.